The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1887-01-13

and grand turies throughout the state must real
ize that it is their duty to employ oil means IN
who VIII purchase and sell votes in primary cleo
tons, municipal elections. county elections, state
elections, congressioaai elections IN STATE iegisla,
held up TO public reprobation. l submit to you
the advisabiity. yea the necessity, OF making our
election laws in this respect appllcaoie 10 tne pr
Earies. In addition 10 calling your attention to
this subject. / shall indulge the hope that. by CIV
ing expression to these views in this public man
ner, the attention of the people may be awakened
to a realization OF the enornity of this evil. aud
that the full power OF public opinion may be
brought to bear npon prosecuting officers 10 per
form their whole duty, and to sustain teem IN
doing so.
AMENDMENT OF THE REVENUE LAWS.
II is eyiden: that q revision and amendment OF
the present revenue law are necessary. especially
in regard TO the method of assessment and taxa
ton, which is faulty, and liable 10 abuse; In ITS
execution. there is inequality and Partially. II
leads TO dishonest and corrupt practice. There
are many who will resort to every scheme. device
or deception which ingenuity can devise yes,
even TO faIsehood, to deceive an honest assessor,
while they easily arrange matters with a dis
honest one. They are guilty of that for which.
under other designations OF crimes, convicts are
serving the state in the penitentiary, and yet they
are honorable men, of course, and good citizens,
though half or two-thirds of their property eS-
capes taxation and the assessors grow rich; and
those property owners admire their own shrewd-
ness in devising successful schemes to defraud
the state.
Permit ME TO suggest a c0alge IN the OASIS OF
assessment. Let all taxable property, real and
personal. be appraised and assessed at its full,
fair. actual value. Then let the levy be made on
ore-third or one-fourth of its appraised value. If
there is reason to believe that the owner is coz
cealing any property to evade taxation, make it
obligatory on the assessor to put him under oath
with the pain and penalties of perjury attached.
If the assessors fail to require the oath, let the as
SCISSOR be punished with Imprisonment.
By this plan the property of all will be treated
alike, which is one Of the highest aims Of gov
eminent.
TEE EQUALIZATION BoLID.
It may be doubted that state officers are the
persons who are best fitted to be members OF the
state board of equalization. They can at best
have but a vague idea of the value OF property
in different and distant portions of the state.
But if there could be established a board OF COM
miSsioners of assessment and taxation 10 be
composed OF one commissioner for the state AZ
large and ore for each county. who might be the
chairman of the board of county commissioner
or OF the supervisors, who shall meet at the state
capitol once a year. there would then be several
members present from the section of the state
from which the case of disputed assessment;
should come, and they would be much better
Judges in such matters than state officers. Fur.
thermore. property should be assessed by three
disintereSted persons. The power and the Temp
tations are too great for one man 20 exercise and
10 meet.
CONVERSATION Foa STOCK SLAIN To PREVENT THE
SPREAD OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
submit that when animals are killed to prevent
IHc SDI u vi Lot~~NE 10y ~ "@'f
for the public good; and therefore the public
should bear its share of the loss. 1t IS too great a
hardship for the owners to bear it. They should
be allowed by the state a fair compensation.
SUES IN STATE INSTEAD OF UNITED STATES COURTS.
The attorney general in his report refers to the
large number of suits in the United States courts
which could be brought in the state courts With
far less expense to the parties llngant. submit
herewith a memoranda which might he embodied
in a statute which would result in bringing most
of such suits in the counties where the defendants
reside. and in case of foreclosure of mortgages.
where the mortgaged property lays. and thus
greatly reduce the cost TO the parties.
PRINTING TIE LAWS N NEWSPAPERS.
suggest that it will best accommodate the
general public by providing for the printing OF
the laws in one paper in each county of the state,
thus making them more accessible to the people.
and much earlier than by waiting the printing of
them in book form.
DISBURSEMENTS OF TIE PvBLlc FUNDS.
Every safeguard should be thrown around all
the expenditures of the public money. Every
one in the service of the state is entitled to re-
ctive Just what the constitution and laws provide
as compensation and no more No one has any
right TO make money at the expense OF the stale.
entlemen-In every measure designed 10 AL
vance the public interest. to lessen the burdens
of the people. to secure the blessing Of education.
+ importance and the happiness of the citizen, ami
To promote the public welfare, you Will have
MY hearty cooperation. .
Tho public veal. equal and exact justice to all
the people.